Penn State football: Three takeaways from James Franklin's signing day press conference

Penn State Nittany Lions football signed the No. 7 class in the country on Wednesday.

Penn State head coach James Franklin met the media to break down the class for the first time.

Let’s dive into three takeaways from what he said.

1. Class holds firm amid rumors, coaching turnover

Franklin was the subject of intense speculation regarding coaching vacancies at USC and LSU during the season. He eventually agreed to a 10-year contract extension to remain at Penn State before the Nittany Lions played their final game of the year.

Notably, the Class of 2022 never wavered.

“There was a lot of communication going on with our current team,” Franklin said. “There was a lot of communication going on with the recruits and parents. I think they felt informed and weren’t shocked by anything, and we were really able to ride that out.

“A season that saw some unbelievable highs and some challenges as well, and nobody really blinked.”

Well after the issue of Franklin’s future was resolved, Penn State lost its defensive coordinator. Brent Pry became the head coach at Virginia Tech, but his departure didn’t lead to any defenctions from the class.

Franklin touted the impression new DC Manny Diaz made as a reason for that.

“Being able to go out and hire somebody like Manny Diaz who has a similar philosophy, we’ve shared ideas on the defensive side of the ball together for a number of years,” Franklin said. “I think that helps. Obviously a proven defensive coordinator with a successful track record to back it up.

“Even through that process, I’ve been communicating with our team, as well as recruits coming in, that we were going to get somebody good but we were also going to get somebody who had a similar philosophy.”

2. Will the running backs contribute early?

Penn State signed a pair of blue-chip running back prospects on Wednesday in Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton.

Allen is the No. 9 running back in the Class of 2022, according to the On3 Consensus, and Singleton — a five-star prospect — is the top running back prospect in the class.

With Penn State’s running game struggling so much last season, can Franklin see this duo contributing early?

“Every guy we recruit, we recruit with the mentality that they are going to come in and play,” Franklin said. “The fact that both are coming in at mid-semester helps. But, they have to go out and earn it. 

“We’re super excited about getting them.”

3. Penn State’s vision for Cristian Driver and Mehki Flowers

Penn State introduced both Cristian Driver and Mehki Flowers as defensive backs on Wednesday.

Both have played well on the offensive side of the ball at the high school level. On3 gave Flowers an athlete designation, while listing Driver as a safety.

“I think you can make arguments both ways, and we’ve had conversations with both of them about that,” Franklin said. “There’s still flexibility there that exists. You never know what the future holds.”

Franklin emphasized the importance of recruiting defensive backs with good ball skills. Given that both Driver and Flowers come from a background of playing wideout, they certainly belong in that category.

“We want as many defensive backs with ball skills and length as we possibly can find and I think these two guys fit those chatacteristics perfectly,” Franklin said.

“I think you could see those guys doing other things, too. Returning kicks, returning punts, maybe even playing some wide receiver down the road.”